The English Level 3 qualifications landscape has gone through major reforms in recent years and there continues to be live conversations and development on the future of them with the Advanced British Standard (ABS) consultation. T Levels have marked the most significant change to the qualification landscape since the decoupling of the AS in 2015 and it is the Government’s intention that they will “form the backbone” of the new qualification.

These reforms sit within broader changes that have been seen over the last few years, including the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications and degree apprenticeships. In totality, this offers students a clearer technical education progression pathway from Level 3 onwards. It is key that schools, colleges, universities, employers, and training providers understand what these reforms mean for the future pipeline of apprentices and students.

But what do we know of the progression of the second group of students to complete T Levels?

What are the aspirations for progression of T Level applicants? 

There are now just over 4,000 young people with T Levels on their CVs. The 2023 cycle saw T Level students getting their results for the seven new T Levels that were introduced in 2021 – including health, healthcare science and science, digital support services, onsite construction and building services engineering for construction. This adds to the first wave when T Levels were initially introduced in 2020 with courses in education and childcare, digital and construction. 

T Levels were designed to offer a broad range of next steps. A recent Department for Education (DfE) publication revealed that of the 2021 cohort one in five (19%) intended to progress to an apprenticeship (including degree apprenticeship) and that two in five (40%) of students planned to study towards a degree.  

We are tracking interest in apprenticeships and have found that interest in apprenticeship opportunities for those using the UCAS Hub is significant, at around 40%. With T Level applicants in the 2023 cycle, we see that they are 31% more likely than non-T Level applicants to tell us they are also interested in apprenticeships. This shows that T Level students are indeed considering a wider variety of next steps.

The debate about whether HE providers and employers would accept these new qualifications for entry was sparked from their inception. The data presents a resounding yes. Nearly all (97%) who applied through UCAS received at least one offer, including from some of the most competitive providers. Moreover, the aspiration seen in the DfE survey has played out – with around two in five of the 2023 applicants being placed – representing 1,430 students (83% of applicants with T Levels).

As is the case for other vocational qualifications, we see that in the 2023 cycle applicants were placed across all kinds of providers, with most going to those with medium (32%) and lower tariffs (64%). We know that different qualifications open and close doors to different pathways. Previous UCAS research has shown that one in five inadvertently close a door to a course of choice due to qualification or subject selection.

It is vital that T Level students understand the routes available to them, and as part of this, universities, colleges, and employers make entry criteria for apprenticeships and degrees clear. It is equally important for there to be clarity and good understanding from an earlier age about the various progression routes and options, from apprenticeships and Higher Technical Qualifications, to degrees.

A spotlight on health: What do T Levels mean for the NHS workforce?

Taking a key skills gap sector as an example, we can shine a spotlight on what T Levels can do for progression. The first students who studied health and healthcare science were awarded their qualifications last year and this qualification will educate a key part of the NHS workforce of the future. 

Apprenticeships form a key pillar of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, with the aim of providing 22% of all training for clinical staff through apprenticeship routes by 2031/32, up from just 7% today. It is promising, then, that 23% of the 2021 health and science T Level starters planned to progress through to an apprenticeship (from DfE survey). It is even more promising that those applying to HE through UCAS with T Levels are 54% more likely to tell us they are interested in a health-related apprenticeship than those with other qualifications.

And to give the full picture across post-18 pathways, UCAS data shows that nearly a third (31%) of young people with a T Level were placed in subjects allied to medicine. They are now developing the skills and knowledge they need to enter the health workforce in the coming years.

UCAS’ role in ensuring parity and progression 

Every young person who considers studying a T Level, or any other qualification for that matter, should know fully what progression opportunities it offers across undergraduate study, apprenticeships, and employment.

At UCAS, we deliver personalised information and advice to students via the UCAS Hub, with our careers quiz and industry guides highlighting pathways for T Levels students. As our work on apprenticeships expands, the insights that we develop about vocational and technical pathways and apprenticeships will grow.

As of October last year, every applicant who signs in to their UCAS student account, known as the UCAS Hub, will see the most relevant apprenticeship opportunities for them side-by-side with higher education courses. Students will be able to search for an apprenticeship at any time throughout the year, as and when employers are hiring, with vacancies updated in real time. And from later this year, people will be able to apply for apprenticeships within the UCAS Hub. A true step towards parity.

(UCAS statistics on T Level applicants correct as of end of cycle 2023.) 

In October, we published a report detailing the big themes in young people’s journeys – towards the decisions that colour the rest of their lives in education and work. Built on the findings from Project Next Generation, our research with more than 1,000 13 – 17 year olds, the report highlighted six key areas where universities, colleges, and employers can do more to educate, upskill, and inspire. 

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1. Don’t leave aspiration up to the imagination

At the end of secondary school, young people are at their most open-minded and alert to what the future could hold for them. They’re actively looking for inspiration – from the paths their online heroes took to stardom, to the paths of the heroes in their own homes. They’re curious about how their role models – influencers, parents, teachers – got to where they are. After all, 42% of young people tell us that somebody close to them does the job they’re interested in, and has influenced their choice to pursue it.

In particular, they’re searching for two-way conversations – as a relief to information overload. To give them a better chance of discovering the right path for them, and to rule out the wrong ones, they need the opportunity to talk with people who can guide them. Think one-on-one time with successful grads, entrepreneurs, and established career players.

2. Strike the balance between living in the moment and planning for the future

Even the most forward-thinking and determined young people are still living out the final years of a comparatively carefree childhood. They’re enjoying themselves, navigating the heady days of being a teenager, whilst trying to balance this with planning for their futures. If we forget to appeal to this integral part of their personality, and a crucial element of their development, we’re missing the opportunity to speak to them in the language they understand best.

Almost 60% of those we surveyed are sticking to what they enjoy and trusting that everything will work out. By balancing their need to enjoy themselves in the moment – utilising their passion and interest in the subjects and courses they study – with the focus on enjoying themselves in the future – in a career which gives them job satisfaction and the finances to pursue their dreams – we communicate with them realistically and honestly. 

3. Enable them to make fully-informed decisions

Exposure is empowering for young people, giving them a grounded basis for making decisions validated by their lived experiences. Whether it’s hands-on (via work experience or placements), second-hand (via engagement with mentors or role models), or from the past (through the experience of parents or family friends) – exposure gives them confidence of relevance. And they’re well aware of just how crucial it is – 97% agree they need experience before university – despite only a minority (39%) saying they have the experience they need.

By providing diverse and targeted opportunities, we can help them to narrow down their viable options and rule out those which could waste their time and energy.

4. Inspire confidence in every form

Confidence levels vary hugely in young people, both their natural confidence in their own abilities to learn/work and the confidence which allows them to make informed decisions. And with most (57%) young people only knowing a little about their post-18 choices, either flavour of confidence can be hard to come by.

We found a direct, albeit not surprising, correlation between the level of knowledge and the comfort with their level of knowledge. Young people feel they can’t make progressive steps forward when they don’t have all the facts to hand. To inspire the confidence to do so, we need to showcase the whole university experience, offer practical skills, and facilitate opportunities to engage with those who are living potential future pathways. Website resources and career guides are rarely enough to inspire the confidence required.

5. Support and reassure, to offset the pressure

Whatever their intentions (university, apprenticeship, work, gap year), independence is an integral personal trait that young people are generally unwilling to let go of. But with so much information, so much influence, and so many opinions from their advisers – pressure is an inevitable storm they must weather. Almost half of all young people feel ‘quite a bit’ of pressure from their parents to make good decisions.

To soften the potential impact of this, young people need support and reassurance as a remedy. Peer mentors, those who have trodden the paths themselves, are an excellent source of credible advice rooted in directly relevant reality. These are particularly important from Year 11 onwards, where young people look for confirmation and validation of their choices – as their choices begin to funnel them down narrower paths.

6. Give them control and ownership of their own choices

Having control over their journey means a sense of optimism, and optimism leads to happiness. But finding control, when 74% of those in Year 12 only have a general idea (or no idea at all) of what they’ll do for a living, is easier said than done. Some of the factors are inevitably out of their control – there are concerns about the job market and the economy – but attaining the grades they need and doing the research required for future planning certainly are in their grasp.

To empower a sense of control or ownership over their own path, we need to develop resources further down the inspiration funnel – which can help young people tap into the reality of life at university, on certain courses, or at work. By providing access to role models and accomplished peers, and by challenging preconceptions and misconceptions, we can begin to unfetter their lives and remove the distractions that may cause choice paralysis and information overload.

How UCAS can help engage strategically with pre-applicants

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Trudi Woodhouse

Find out more about our in-depth study into 13 - 17 year olds 

If you would like to understand how the findings can be applied to your university or business or to reach the next generation of students, contact your Customer Success Director to find out more or book an informal chat with our Consultancy Team: consultancyinsights@ucas.ac.uk